Jerk

Dennis Cooper

Dennis Cooper's short story "Jerk" here gets the royal Artspace treatment, with odd puppet sculptures by Nayland Blake that perfectly complement the text. While it predates the obvious comparison, think of this as a really, really dark and twisted *Being John Malkovich* without the ear tunnel.

David Brooks was one of serial killer Dean Corll's two teenaged associates. As the book opens, Brooks has been in prison for some time, and has turned to puppetry as a form of art therapy. With the exception of a few closing pages, the entire story takes place at one of Brooks' puppet shows; Brooks has the audience (and us) read two pieces which he hasn't yet been able to conceptualize in puppetry yet, and plays out long scenes with the puppets at other times. (Note; don't take any of this, despite the historical accuracy of some of the characters, as accurate; it is Corll's other associate, Wayne Henley, who has become known for turning to art therapy in prison; his paintings are in demand on ebay.) Having now read a few of Cooper's novels, I have to say that the short form, I think, works somewhat better for him; "Jerk"'s brevity plays up the essential weirdness of the scenes Cooper creates, without ending up at an emotional state that comes off as overly world-weary.

Nicely done, and a pretty good intro to the weird world of Dennis Cooper.